Abstract
A comparison between pulse columns and centrifugal contactors was made to determine which type of equipment was more advantageous for use in the primary decontamination cycle of a remotely operated fuel reprocessing plant. Clinch River Breeder Reactor (CRBR) fuel was chosen as the fuel to be processed in the proposed 1 metric tonne/day reprocessing facility. The pulse columns and centrifugal contactors were compared on a performance and total cost basis. From this comparison, either the pulse columns or the centrifugal contactors will be recommended for use in a fuel reprocessing plant built to reprocess CRBR fuel. The reliability, solvent exposure to radiation, required time to reach steady state, and the total costs were the primary areas of concern for the comparison. The pulse column units were determined to be more reliable than the centrifugal contactors. When a centrifugal contactor motor fails, it can be remotely changed in less than one eight hour shift. Pulse columns expose the solvent to approximately five times as much radiation dose as the centrifugal contactor units; however, the proposed solvent recovery system adequately cleans the solvent for either case. The time required for pulse columns to reach steady state is many times longer than themore » time required for centrifugal contactors to reach steady state. The cost comparison between the two types of contacting equipment resulted in centrifugal contactors costing 85% of the total cost of pulse columns when the contactors were stacked on three levels in the module. If the centrifugal contactors were all positioned on the top level of a module with the unoccupied volume in the module occupied by other equipment, the centrifugal contactors cost is 66% of the total cost of pulse columns. Based on these results, centrifugal contactors are recommended for use in a remotely operated reprocessing plant built to reprocess CRBR fuel.« less
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